Approximately 17% of the world's total food production is wasted annually, making food waste a serious worldwide problem. This translates to an astounding 1.03 billion tonnes of food wasted per year. Novel technologies are being developed to decrease food waste at different levels of the supply chain in order to solve this issue. This post will examine ten cutting-edge technologies that are significantly advancing the effort to reduce food waste.
Since food is wasted at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to fork, we have divided this list into smaller lists according to the supply chain link that the company is working to improve:
1. Apeel
The California-based startup Apeel Sciences has transformed food preservation with its cutting-edge method of prolonging the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Produce is shielded from harm by an invisible, edible coating created by Apeel using natural plant compounds, such as residual grape skins from wine production. The main factors that cause fruits and vegetables to deteriorate are oxidation and water loss, which are both slowed down by this barrier. Growers and suppliers may easily double or even treble the shelf life of produce by using Apeel's coating, which eliminates the need for expensive refrigeration and food waste-causing transportation techniques. This device is especially useful in reducing food waste in developing nations, where the difficulties of delivering perishable items frequently result in large losses. Avocados, citrus fruits, and berries are just a few of the produce items that Apeel's coating has been shown to be successful in prolonging their shelf life. This provides a sustainable way to cut down on food waste while guaranteeing that consumers receive fresher, longer-lasting goods.
2. Full Harvest
Based in the US, Full Harvest is a trailblazing business-to-business marketplace that connects farmers and food firms to sell excess or "ugly" vegetables that would otherwise go to waste, thereby addressing the problem of food waste. Stores reject nearly 9 million tonnes of perfectly edible vegetables annually because of excess or cosmetic defects. Growers can sell their excess fruit at a discount to buyers through Full Harvest, who can save them up to 40% over usual wholesalers. Full Harvest helps prevent food waste by offering a platform for the sale of defective produce, which benefits both farmers and consumers financially. By guaranteeing that more food is grown and gets onto consumer plates, this creative technique not only lowers waste but also lessens the environmental effect of food production.
3. Hungry Harvest and Imperfect Produce
Two businesses leading the charge in the US against food waste are Hungry Harvest and Imperfect Produce. Both businesses use a direct-to-consumer business strategy, sending food boxes full of imperfect or extra produce to subscribers' homes. Hungry Harvest and Imperfect Produce are minimizing food waste by saving "ugly" fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away. They also provide customers with an inexpensive and environmentally friendly substitute for regular grocery shopping. Imperfect Produce emphasizes the substantial influence these businesses may have on lowering food waste and fostering a more sustainable food system by claiming to have saved over 18,000 tonnes of food and 1.2 billion gallons of water via their efforts.
4. Hazel Technologies
With their cutting-edge technologies, Hazel Technologies is transforming how fruit growers handle their inventory and cut down on food waste. Their sachets, which contain a substance known as 1-MCP, emit a safe substance that delays fruit ripening, allowing fruits to have a three-week shelf life. Given that currently about 45% of all fruit grown is wasted, this technology is a game-changer for fruit farmers since it allows them to drastically minimize waste. One of the main reasons of food waste in the agriculture industry is being addressed by Hazel Technologies, which offers a straightforward and practical way to extend the freshness of fruits. By lowering losses, this helps farmers as well as the environment by minimizing the quantity of food that ends up in landfills.
5. Outcast Foods
By developing a sustainable supply chain for food that is almost thrown out, Outcast Foods, a Canadian firm, is significantly lowering food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. To keep produce from going to waste and turn it into plant-based goods like protein powders and supplements, they collaborate closely with farmers, suppliers, and merchants. Through the process of upcycling food into marketable products, Outcast Foods not only reduces food waste but also contributes to the circular economy by intercepting food that would otherwise be discarded. By lowering methane emissions from decaying food, this method not only helps the environment but also gives consumers wholesome items.
6. OneThird
By giving suppliers—such as wholesalers, retailers, and growers—access to AI-powered handheld produce scanners and cloud-based software, OneThird is transforming the reduction of food waste. With the help of these cutting-edge technologies, suppliers can now precisely estimate the shelf life of food, cutting waste throughout the whole supply chain. OneThird helps suppliers make educated decisions regarding the quality and shelf life of their goods, ensuring that it reaches consumers before it spoils, by utilizing data analysis and AI algorithms. Food waste is significantly decreased as a result of suppliers' improved inventory management and monitoring capabilities made possible by their handheld scanners and AI-powered quality evaluation tools.
7. Wasteless
Wasteless is transforming the retail sector by lowering food waste through data-driven pricing. Wasteless use machine learning to improve prices by utilizing small screens to display prices for each item on the shelf that change dynamically based on factors like stock levels and expiration dates. By encouraging customers to buy products that are getting close to their sell-by dates, this creative pricing technique helps to cut down on the quantity of food that is wasted and unsold. Wasteless asserts that it may increase sales for merchants while reducing trash by a third. Wasteless's AI tags are expected to become more widespread as retailers commit to reducing waste, which might result in a notable drop in food waste throughout the sector.
8. Neurolabs
Neurolabs is leading the way in minimizing food waste by using AI to precisely forecast retail sales. In contrast to existing technologies, Neurolabs predicts sales rather than restaurant demand and offers supermarkets real-time shelf monitoring to spot inventory shortfalls. Their algorithms, which are presently being refined in Romania, have produced encouraging outcomes and have the potential to cut supermarket waste by as much as 40%. Neurolabs enables supermarkets to make data-driven decisions and stocks the appropriate products in the correct quantities by providing real-time insights into inventory management. Neurolabs has the potential to significantly reduce food waste in the retail industry because of its capacity to detect and resolve inventory shortfalls in a proactive manner.
9. Tenzo
Tenzo is an app for sales forecasting and restaurant management that helps eateries run more efficiently and waste less food. Tenzo, which was founded by a group with direct experience in the field, offers incredibly precise AI sales forecasting algorithms to solve the problems of labor scheduling and inaccurate food ordering. These algorithms produce projections that are 50% more accurate than traditional approaches, even permitting forecasts down to the menu item level, by utilizing weather data, growth tendencies, and historical data. Tenzo helps restaurants order the proper amount of food, reducing waste, by precisely forecasting sales. To further streamline operations, the software works flawlessly with us. Tenzo's emphasis on data-driven decision-making and effective inventory management makes it a potent tool for eateries trying to cut down on food waste and boost productivity.
10. Winnow
Winnow is a startup that provides solutions to monitor and minimize food waste in order to combat food waste in the hospitality industry. By tracking and analyzing the food that is thrown out, their solutions seek to assist cooks in understanding why waste happens and how to avoid it. One of their main offerings is an AI camera and weighing scale with computer vision algorithms that record the weight and kind of food as it is dumped into the trash can, as well as the staff-selected reason for waste. Restaurants can use this data to make more educated decisions about waste reduction and to have a better understanding of their waste patterns. It has been demonstrated that Winnow's technology increases revenue while reducing food waste by a third.
Future technologies for food waste reduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are the focal points of future technologies for reducing food waste, providing revolutionary solutions throughout the food supply chain. With AI's capacity to process massive volumes of data, food production, distribution, and consumption processes can be optimized. Inefficiencies can be found and wasteful areas can be predicted. AI systems, for instance, are remarkably accurate at predicting the demand for food, enabling shops to decrease overstock and modify their inventory. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered intelligent food sorting systems can minimize food waste by distinguishing between produce that is ripe and ready for sale and that which is not. AI can also optimize food recovery and redistribution efforts by matching excess food with need in real-time, ensuring that surplus food feeds people rather than ending up in landfills.
Conversely, Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets, like smart sensors, may track food storage conditions in real-time, warning consumers about any problems that might cause spoiling and assisting in preventing waste before it occurs. Another Internet of Things use is smart agriculture, where sensors track temperature, moisture content, and nutrient levels to assist food producers in minimizing waste by timing irrigation, fertilization, and harvesting.
Future refrigerators and other kitchen appliances may have more sophisticated sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) built in to track food items and their expiration dates, make recipe recommendations based on ingredients that are on hand, and automatically adjust temperature for various food types to prolong their freshness. Another Internet of things use is dynamic pricing in retail, where food prices are changed in real time according to factors like freshness and impending expiration dates. All things considered, these next technologies present encouraging ways to cut down on food waste and build a more sustainable food system.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT)
The food sector is undergoing a transformation thanks to the inventive ways that artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) are reducing food waste. AI aids in the optimization of numerous procedures throughout the food supply chain because to its capacity to evaluate enormous volumes of data. For example, businesses may prevent overstocking, which frequently results in waste, and manage inventory more effectively by using AI algorithms to estimate food demand with high accuracy.
On the other hand, real-time food storage condition monitoring and management is made possible by IoT devices. By monitoring temperature, humidity, and other variables, these gadgets make sure food is kept at the right temperature and doesn't deteriorate. By keeping an eye on crop health and soil conditions, smart sensors may assist farmers with precision agriculture as well, improving yield forecasts and minimizing waste.
AI and IoT technologies working together are revolutionizing attempts to reduce food waste by giving real-time information, streamlining procedures, and enhancing decision-making along the whole food supply chain.
Challenges and opportunities for scaling AI and IoT solutions
Growing IoT and AI technologies to reduce food waste has advantages and disadvantages. The complexity and expense of integrating these technologies throughout the whole food supply chain provide a significant obstacle. It takes a large infrastructure and training investment to integrate AI algorithms and IoT devices into current systems.
Data security and privacy are another difficulty. Large volumes of data, including sensitive information about food products and consumers, are collected and analyzed by AI and IoT devices. For these technologies to be used and trusted, it is imperative that the security of this data is guaranteed.
But there are also a lot of noteworthy opportunities. Businesses may increase sustainability, cut expenses, and optimize operations with the use of AI and IoT. Businesses may reduce waste and overproduction by using AI for inventory management and demand forecasting. By measuring product freshness and keeping an eye on storage conditions, IoT devices can increase food safety by lowering the risk of foodborne infections.
Overall, organizations in the food industry would be well to pursue scaling AI and IoT solutions for food waste reduction despite the hurdles involved. These benefits include increased efficiency, sustainability, and food safety.
The importance of reducing food waste
Food waste reduction is important for a number of reasons. It first aids in addressing the problem of food insecurity. Reducing waste allows for greater food to be donated to those in need, which helps feed vulnerable populations and reduces hunger.
Second, there are major environmental advantages to decreasing food waste. Food production uses a lot of resources, including energy, water, and land. Food waste contributes to climate change and environmental deterioration because it wastes these resources as well. We can conserve resources and lower greenhouse gas emissions related to food production by cutting waste.
Third, there are financial advantages to decreasing food waste. Businesses and households lose money as a result of food waste. Businesses can increase their profits by cutting waste, and households can save costs by purchasing only what they need and eating food before it goes bad.
In general, maintaining food security, safeguarding the environment, and fostering economic sustainability all depend on minimizing food waste. To reduce waste and increase the value of food resources, cooperation is needed along the whole food supply chain, from farmers to consumers, as well as the implementation of cutting-edge technology and procedures.
FAQs
1. What technology is used in food waste management?
Several technologies are used in food waste management to reduce the negative environmental effects of wasted food. These technologies include food waste-to-energy processes like gasification and incineration, which turn food waste into heat, electricity, or biofuels; anaerobic digestion, which breaks down organic waste into biogas and nutrient-rich digestate; and composting, which breaks down organic waste into soil conditioner. These technologies are essential for keeping food waste out of landfills, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and encouraging trash management that is more environmentally friendly.
2. How can AI reduce food waste?
Throughout the food supply chain, artificial intelligence (AI) may reduce food waste through a variety of creative applications. Demand forecasting driven by AI reduces overstocking and food spoiling for merchants and eateries by optimizing inventory levels. AI systems are also capable of analyzing the freshness and quality of food, which improves inventory control and reduces waste. AI can also optimize food distribution routes, minimizing the chance of food spoiling in transportation and guaranteeing timely delivery. Businesses may reduce food waste by using AI to make data-driven decisions that result in more efficient operations.
3. How can agriscience and technology reduce food waste?
Through the advancement of farming methods and food processing strategies, agriculture and technology play a critical role in lowering food waste. Crop losses are less likely now because crops are increasingly resistant to diseases and pests thanks to advances in agriscience. Furthermore, farmers may maximize inputs like water and fertilizer with the use of technologies like precision agriculture, which increases yields and reduces waste. Technologies used in food processing, such as grading and sorting equipment, assist in identifying and eliminating faulty or damaged produce, guaranteeing that only food of the highest caliber reaches consumers. In general, agriscience and technology help to produce and distribute food more efficiently, which eventually reduces food waste along the supply chain.
4. What is a food waste recycling machine?
An apparatus made to effectively convert food waste into compost or other useful byproducts is called a food waste recycling machine. These devices usually break down organic waste fast and hygienically via heating, shredding, and microbiological processes. By using the resultant compost as a soil conditioner or fertilizer, food waste can be disposed of completely and the demand for chemical fertilizers is reduced. A sustainable method for handling food waste is provided by some machines, some of which are made for home use and others of which are bigger and better suited for commercial or industrial environments.
5. What technology is used to reduce waste?
Diverse industries and sectors use a variety of technologies to cut waste. Food waste management reduces the quantity of trash dumped in landfills by using technologies like anaerobic digestion and composting to turn organic waste into biogas and compost, respectively. Recycling technologies are used to recycle recyclable materials like paper, metal, and plastic so they can be used again in manufacturing processes. Examples of these technologies include chemical recycling and sophisticated sorting systems. Furthermore, non-recyclable garbage can be converted into electricity through waste-to-energy technologies like pyrolysis and incineration, which lessens reliance on fossil fuels and has a positive environmental impact. These technologies play a key role in creating a more sustainable and circular economy, as do creative approaches to resource recovery and waste reduction.
